H. Clayton Foushee

H. Clayton Foushee is the Director of the Office of Audit and Evaluation (AAE) at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). He assumed this role on June 20, 2010, and later, in compliance with the FAA Modernization and Reform Act of 2012 (Public Law 112-95), was appointed to a 5-year term by the Secretary of Transportation on September 11, 2012. Foushee was reappointed to a second 5-year term in September 2017.

AAE is an independent staff office reporting to the Administrator. Its primary mission is to serve as an objective venue for the oversight and evaluation of all FAA safety programs, policies, and regulatory compliance, thereby avoiding conflicts of interest by providing independent oversight. AAE manages the Federal Whistleblower Protection Program for the agency. It serves as the FAA liaison to the Department of Transportation, Office of Inspector General, and the Government Accountability Office and manages FAA responses to external audits and investigations. It is also the investigative unit for the handling of referrals from the U. S. Office of Special Counsel. AAE operates the FAA internal and external hotlines.

Foushee has extensive government, corporate, and airline experience. He served as lead investigator for the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure (T&I) under Chairman James L. Oberstar immediately prior to joining the FAA. Prior to that, he was a consultant on aviation safety and operations, and he held executive positions at Northwest Airlines as the Vice President of Flight Operations and the Vice President of Regulatory Affairs. Earlier, he was Chief Scientific and Technical Advisor at the FAA and a Principal Scientist at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

His academic achievements include a B.A. from Duke University and a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Texas.